The Publishing Season Part Three: Creating a Proposal

Now that you have determined your publication path let’s consider our next step. If you are publishing through a traditional publishing company and they are asking for a proposal, query letter, synopsis etc. Now is where the hard work comes in.
If you’ve never had to do a proposal before, don’t worry. It’s easier said than done and the hard part is really finding out what the publisher or editor is looking for.
My advice to you is to go to your local library or look up on the internet how to prepare a proposal. I will give you a few tips here.
The query letter is the first thing the publisher or editor will see before actually reading your proposal or manuscript. The query letter is something like a cover letter for your resume; your introduction. The query letter tells the publisher or editor about you, about your book and what to expect. It should be clear, error free and straight to the point. One thing to keep in mind is that it should end on a positive note saying, “Thank you for taking the time to read my query letter and I look forward to sending you my proposal” This tells the person reading it that you are confident they will like your work and will want to read more. Like I said, goggle query letters or go to your library and see examples of how to set up your query letter.
If it is now time to send in your synopsis and the rest of your proposal here’s your next step, writing the synopsis. A friend told me that the best way to get a good synopsis is to have someone who has already read the book write it for you. I haven’t had anyone write my synopsis for me but I’m sure it’s a great way to go.
Your synopsis should have your name and email address at the top. Your synopsis should not ramble on. It should give great points about the book and leave the reader wanting more. Be sure that it gives enough info about the main character and what the book is about.
Next is the author bio. This is all about you. What you’ve accomplished. What you are currently doing. You should include anything that is positive and that you believe will get the readers attention. If you’ve published numerous books, don’t name them all just list the most recent or the ones that are the most popular. The bio should be in second person also saying, “Jim is a published author of three books” It’s more professional this way. If you really don’t know what to say, have someone write it for you.
Then comes your marketing plan. This plan helps the editor or publisher know how you plan to sell and promote your book. If your marketing plan is not catching or driven they will not be interested. If the publisher feels that you are going to sit back and watch the company work, they will not be interested. You as the author have to have some type of plan for your book. You have to have some goals. You need to include in this plan that you are going to schedule book signings in your area, speaking engagements. Whatever events you think you will be doing, you need to include them in this plan. Looking up marketing plans for proposal’s will give you more insight on what to include.
Last but certainly not least, sample chapters. Most publishers or editors want to read your sample chapters. They normally ask for the first 1-5 chapters of the book. The sample chapters should be set up as follow:
*Your name, email address, and phone number should be to the left of the page
*To the right of the page should be your word count.
*About sixteen spaces down and centered should be your title and your name again as the author.
*Your pages should be number, in 12-font and double spaced
*Send your manuscript to the publisher or editor they way they suggest. Do not email it if they ask you to mail it.
Be cautious. Some publishers or editors ask for different things. The library and the internet should help you successfully create what’s needed and get it to your publisher.
Stay tuned for Step Four:
Tips for you to think about:
*Did you create a professional looking proposal?
*Did you put enough about you in your bio?
*How motivated does your marketing plan sound?
*Does your synopsis pull the reader in? Does it sound catchy?
*Did you set up your sample chapters correctly?
*Are you sending your proposal correctly
Before we end today's blog...
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Signing Off,
Dominique Watson